Innovative assessment methods for autism: A proof of principle investigation of "nonverbal" autism

Many individuals living with autism spectrum disorders are non-verbal; that is, they cannot functionally communicate with others using their voice. Despite this substantial fraction, we still know very little about these individuals, their abilities, and their needs. The investigators in this proposal will use cognitive event-related brain potentials (ERPs) recorded in a structured protocol to evaluate cognitive function in non-verbal individuals with autism, including individuals with autism who use alternate means of communication. These methods were originally developed for assessing brain-injured people who have received diagnoses of "vegetative state" and "locked-in" syndrome and are expected to provide a rigorous means of demonstrating speech comprehension at different levels of sophistication and related cognitive functions.